(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved structure of a steaming apparatus, and in particular, to a steaming apparatus which is used to steam food within an enclosed steaming box by heating water with a water boiler until steam is formed. The apparatus provides excellent and rapid steaming of food within a few minutes, and the temperature, humidity and pressure within the steaming box can be controlled and regulated.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
In conventional steaming device, a water boiler mounted at the bottom of a steaming box is used as a cooking wok having a heating device at the bottom thereof. Only after heating for 15 to 20 minutes, the water within the steaming box changes to steam. In this prior art, the heating process is too slow and it is a waste of energy.
Another drawback of the prior art is that a high pressure is developed within the closed steaming box if it is heated by the water boiler for a long period of time. As the pressure outside the steaming box is lower than that inside the steaming box, automatically supply of water to the steaming box is not possible, and therefore, water supply to the steaming box has to be done manually.
The conventional prior art is normally provided with an opened-type water boiler without any cover to cover up the steam which produced by the boiler. Thus, when the water is at the boiling point, steam thus formed raises from the bottom to the top of the steaming box. As such the comers of the steaming box may not have steam supply or with little steam supply. As a result, the food placed at the comers of the steaming box may not have sufficiently steamed.
Another drawback of the conventional prior art is that the steam-releasing tube at the top end of the steaming box causes a loud sound when the high pressure steam is released and passes through the tube. This sound shall become a loud noise if the steaming box is in operation for a long time. In addition, there is no regulator or controller to control the volume of the released smoke at the smoke-releasing tube and therefore, the temperature, the humidity and the pressure within the steaming box cannot be effectively regulated or controlled.